


I'm Keeping Mine

by sayasamax3



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Established Relationship, Inferiority Complex, Jealousy, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-11
Updated: 2015-01-11
Packaged: 2018-03-07 03:39:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,094
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3159824
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sayasamax3/pseuds/sayasamax3
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Yamaguchi finds himself feeling just a bit frustrated over how easily others can grab Tsukishima's attention.</p>
            </blockquote>





	I'm Keeping Mine

The worst part is, Tsukishima doesn’t even  _mean_  to do it.  He doesn’t mean to make Yamaguchi jealous. 

At least if he did, Yamaguchi would feel comfortable bringing it up, telling Tsukishima to stop because there’s nothing  _cool_  about jerking your boyfriend around.

But Tsukishima doesn’t mean to, and to make matters worse, the things that set him off aren’t even things a person ought to be jealous about in the first place.

Like when Tsukishima teases Hinata, or goes just a  _little_ out of his way to push Kageyama’s buttons—Yamaguchi’s heart begins to squirm uncomfortably in his chest and the only way to soothe it is to clutch at some bit of Tsukishima’s uniform until the other looks down at him. 

These aren’t even  _nice_  things—Tsukishima’s sense of humor isn’t necessarily malicious, but it’s always less than kind, and Yamaguchi laughs because his sense of humor is a bit crooked too, but he’s not sure he’d actually want that sort of attention from Tsukishima focused on himself.

No, it’s more that he just doesn’t want to compete for Tsukishima’s attention—and he feels he is  _always_  competing.

—

Tsukishima wouldn’t call Yamaguchi needy.

He’s there, yes, a constant presence always within earshot, usually brushing shoulders, but there’s nothing  _asking_  about it. 

Yamaguchi is just there, and Tsukishima is just there, and Tsukishima sometimes says awful things that Yamaguchi laughs at because he’s a bit awful too, in a blessedly compatible sort of way that Tsukishima only silently admits he’s grateful for.

However, lately Yamaguchi doesn’t laugh so much, and even his snickering seems half-hearted.  More and more often he’ll feel a hand at his arm, too, tugging at his sleeve, bidding him to walk away from whatever he’s doing, even when more often than not it’s just to begin walking home a little earlier than the rest. 

Tsukishima wonders if he’s crossed a line, maybe, only Yamaguchi would  _tell_  him if he had.  But he doesn’t say anything like that, he just slips his hand into Tsukishima’s and hums or chatters all the way home. 

—

“Hnn, Tsukki, quit teasing those two and let’s go home already.” 

Kageyama and Hinata are used to seeing Yamaguchi hanging around wherever Tsukishima is, standing just off to the side, alternating between amused and nervous.  But this is the first time either have seen Yamaguchi actually  _hug_  Tsukishima—around the waist, most likely because he can’t quite comfortably drape himself over Tsukishima’s shoulders.

Judging by his face, this might be a new thing for Tsukishima, too. 

“… Yamaguchi,” Tsukishima says after a long moment of silence, “What are you doing?”

“Getting your attention,” comes the matter-of-fact reply, muffled against the fabric of Tsukishima’s uniform and it must feel strange somehow, because Tsukishima’s shoulders sort of squirm like maybe it does. 

“This is not—you couldn’t just call for me?” Tsukishima asks, exasperation weighing heavy in his voice. 

“To be fair, he  _did_  try to,” Hinata says with a shrug, “Maybe you’re just too used to it?”

Tsukishima opens his mouth to retort, but whatever he’s about to say is cut off by Yamaguchi squeezing his middle a bit tighter and pleading, “Tsukkiiii, c’mon.”  

With a confused scowl Tsukishima does as bid, turning away from his teammates without even giving them his customary sneer. 

“What was that about?” Kageyama asks, as they watch the other first-years walk away. 

Hinata can only shrug in response. 

“Heck if I know.”

—

“Yamaguchi,” Tsukishima mutters, because they’ve left the gym now and Yamaguchi is  _still_ clinging to him; they must look ridiculous.

“Yamaguchi,” he tries again, his voice a bit stronger this time just in case Yamaguchi didn’t hear him the first time.  When the hold about his waist only seems to get firmer, he tries, quietly, “Tadashi.  What is this about?”

“You don’t even  _hear_  me when you’re around them,” the words are muttered against his spine, just between his shoulder blades, and they’re not quite a dagger too his heart but it’s a near enough thing. 

“It was just this once,” Tsukishima replies, troubled despite himself, “Don’t make it seem so commo—“

“It  _wasn’t_  just once!” Yamaguchi insists; Tsukishima can feel him furiously shaking his head, his forehead digging into the space between his shoulder blades.  “I-it’s not a lot, maybe, but it wasn’t just once either!”

Slowly, cautiously almost, Tsukishima places his hands over Yamaguchi’s forearms.  Yamaguchi squeezes him again, a stubborn refusal to let go that Tsukishima accepts with a resigned sigh.  Unsure of what to say, Tsukishima just lets his hands rest where they are as he tries to think beyond the realization that, somehow, he’s been ignoring Yamaguchi. 

“I know I’m a lot plainer than they are, but—Don’t make me fight ‘em for your attention Tsukki, I’ll just end up losing.”

_Well with that attitude—_ is at the tip of Tsukishima’s tongue, but he bites it back because maybe there’s someone out there with the right to give Yamaguchi a lecture on defeatist attitudes, but Tsukishima certainly isn’t that person. 

So instead he sighs again, and responds with a wholly inadequate, “You won’t lose.”

“I just  _did_  Tsukki!” Yamaguchi exclaims, and it’s a little hard to keep his balance when Yamaguchi seems like he wants to physically shake the right response out of Tsukishima. “I only got your attention because you were embarrassed—“

“Embarrassed?” Tsukishima repeats, and pretends for a moment that being hugged in front of  _those two_  hadn’t left him feeling a tad bashful.  “What’s embarrassing about a hug from you?”

“Eh?” Tadashi’s forehead stops pressing into Tsukishima’s back quite so insistently, “Um, well, it’s like—well it was kind of embarrassing to  _do_ , Tsukki, and I was even  _whining_ —“

“You do that all the time though,” Tsukishima points out.

“Tsukkiiii!”

“See?”

He gets a headbutt for his troubles. 

“Tsukki you’re missing the point!  Take me more seriously!”

“I’m—“  Tsukishima’s hands flex around Yamaguchi’s arms for just a moment, “I’m sorry.  I’ll be more mindful in the future.  And if I don’t hear you, do whatever to get my attention, I won’t mind.”

Yamaguchi lets out a mock-contemplative hum against Tsukishima’s back before saying, “Anything?”

Backing out now would be a bit uncool, Tsukishima thinks, so he nods and repeats, “Anything.”

Knowing Yamaguchi, knowing that there’s a  _reason_  they get on so well, Tsukishima’s sure that’s a big promise to make. 

But he feels Yamaguchi’s arms slide away from him, feels the other boy move to his side and take his hand, sees his sheepish grin, and thinks it’ll be okay all the same.


End file.
